Spring Boot is an open-source Java-based framework used to create microservices and standalone Spring applications with minimal configuration. It simplifies the bootstrapping and development of new Spring applications.
Spring Boot Anti-Patterns Overview
Spring Boot, while designed to simplify Java application development, can still be misused. Here are the most important anti-patterns to avoid when developing Spring Boot applications.
Using @Autowired on Fields
Field injection makes your code harder to test and hides dependencies. Use constructor injection to make dependencies explicit and enable easier unit testing.
Not Using Configuration Properties
Hardcoded configuration values make your application inflexible and difficult to deploy in different environments. Use @ConfigurationProperties
to externalize configuration.
Misusing @Transactional
Misusing @Transactional
can lead to unexpected rollbacks or transaction leaks. Be mindful of transaction boundaries and separate transactional operations from non-transactional ones.
Not Using Spring Boot Starters
Manually managing dependencies can lead to version conflicts and missing transitive dependencies. Use Spring Boot starters to get curated, compatible dependency sets.
Not Using Spring Data Repositories
Writing manual data access code is error-prone and time-consuming. Use Spring Data repositories to automatically implement common data access patterns.
Not Using Proper Exception Handling
Not handling exceptions properly leads to poor user experience and security issues. Use @ControllerAdvice
and @ExceptionHandler
to handle exceptions globally.
Not Using Spring Profiles
Hardcoding environment-specific configuration makes deployment difficult. Use Spring profiles to separate configuration for different environments.
Not Using Spring Boot Actuator
Implementing custom monitoring endpoints is unnecessary and lacks features. Use Spring Boot Actuator for production-ready features like health checks, metrics, and monitoring.
Not Using Spring Security Properly
Custom security implementations are prone to vulnerabilities. Use Spring Security for robust, well-tested security features.
Not Using Spring Boot Testing Features
Manual test setup is verbose and error-prone. Use Spring Boot’s testing features like @SpringBootTest
, @WebMvcTest
, and @DataJpaTest
for more effective testing.
Not Using Spring Boot DevTools
Not using Spring Boot DevTools during development leads to slower development cycles. DevTools provides automatic restart, live reload, and other development-time features that improve productivity.
Not Using Spring Boot Caching
Manual caching is error-prone and difficult to maintain. Use Spring Boot’s caching abstraction with annotations like @Cacheable
, @CachePut
, and @CacheEvict
for declarative caching.
Not Using Spring Boot Validation
Manual validation is error-prone and verbose. Use Bean Validation (JSR-380) with annotations like @Valid
, @NotNull
, @Size
, etc., for declarative validation.
Not Using Spring Boot Actuator for Health Checks
Custom health check endpoints lack standardization and features. Use Spring Boot Actuator’s health endpoints and custom health indicators for comprehensive health monitoring.